Albus Potter and the Quest for Power
by Monkey Ninja Naf S'netog
Summary: Albus is the only Slytherin in his whole, extensive family. Luckily, his best friend Scorpius Malfoy is always there for him. As they experiment with new magic and techniques, their motives go undetected by even the Chosen One. Not an Al/Scorp slash
1. Prologue

"Expelliarmus!"

"Protego!"

A flash of light made Albus close his eyes briefly, and when he opened them he looked across at his opponent to see him just as disoriented. Acting quickly, Albus stepped forward and brandished his wand once more. "Expelliarmus!"

Scorpius was as fast as usual, deflecting the spell with a wave of his wand. Albus stepped forward once more, a grin on his face, swiping his wand out at his opponent. With an audible _whoomp_ Malfoy's wand shot out of his hand. With lightening fast reflexes, Albus Severus Potter swiped the disarmed wand from the air.

A loud cheer roared throughout the room and Al took a deep, dramatic bow.

"A wordless spell? That's dangerous stuff, Potter." Scorpius whispered, stepping forward, a grim look of acceptance on his face. He never took defeat well.

"Well, Malfoy, when you're the best, you've gotta work with what you've got." Al whispered back, staring Malfoy straight in the eye for a moment and the room got quiet. Then, both boys burst into grins. Al handed Scorp his wand and they stepped from the elongated dueling stage together, their Slytherin House robes billowing slightly.

Al's biggest fear had been becoming a Slytherin all the way up until the day he boarded the Hogwarts Express. His dad changed him with those few words of reassurance before he set foot on the train.

"I thought I'd get you that time, Al. You work well under pressure, my friend." Scorpius Malfoy had been Albus's best friends since they met on the Hogwarts Express three years ago. His sharp features and silver-blond hair made him easy on the eyes, and he was top of his class in Potions for three years running. Al had been a little weary of the boy at first, due to his uncle's warnings, but he soon found that he was a pretty good guy. And he was certain to be a Slytherin, and Al was still wondering what House he should join at the time they met. Scorpius had been the deciding factor.

Later on, Al was a little shocked to find out that Scorp's father, Draco Malfoy, had urged the boy to befriend him. Al thought he ought to thank Mr. Malfoy sometime.

"That was a really great duel, Al." Rose, Albus's cousin, now stood before the two friends. Her long auburn hair hung over her left shoulder in a braided hippogriff-tail. She was slightly tall for her age and gender, but she was no taller than Albus himself. Her robes bore the Gryffindor crimson and gold crest, though the House differences never separated the two close cousins. Though it did strain the relationship somewhat...

"Hey, Rosie. Did you see me flex my magical muscles up there?" Malfoy grinned his best grin, stepping forward. Rose gave him a dark look. She had never approved of Scorpius, taking after her father's dislike of the Malfoys.

"I saw you get your rump handed to you, if that's what you mean," Rose responded in a clipped tone, causing Scorp to back off. Scorpius, though having no trouble with the ladies, always seemed to go after the impossible ones. Such as Rose Weasley. Albus always thought it was funny.

"Well, hey. If it isn't my little snake of a brother and his slithery companion." James walked over, grinning as usual. Albus rolled his eyes, while Scorpius ignored the comment altogether. James had always been kidding about Albus getting into Slytherin. The look on his face, well, _everyone's_ faces, really, was priceless when the Sorting Hat called out '_Slytherin!'_

"Hey, James." James was tall, lean, and loved a good practical joke. He was actually, in a way, a bully. He was all about House rivalry, and urged any confrontation between Gryffindor and Slytherin into the most extreme level possible. His dark hair and brown eyes came from both Albus and his mother's and father's sides.

Albus himself was average height, with mostly his father's looks. He didn't wear glasses like his father, but resembled him in almost every other way. Especially his dazzling emerald eyes.

"I saw your little kiddie duel up there. _Expelliarmus_, huh? Yeah, I remember my first-year spells, too..." James had always liked to poke fun at his little brother, but ever since Albus was sorted into Slytherin it only got worse. "Me and the gang are putting together a secret dueling club in the Room of Requirement. You know us, being the fair, kindly people that we are, have decided to allow you to join. You know, if you're not scared..." He let the lure loom there for a second, his grin only widening. "Meeting is at ten o'clock. Don't get caught in the halls; we won't vouch for you!" He strolled away, throwing his hand in the air for a backward wave.

A deep groan of annoyance emanated from Scorpius. "Jeez, he likes to talk. Have I ever told you how annoying your bro is, Al?"

"Only a few hundred times." They both laughed. Al noticed that Rose was still standing next to them. "Uhm, hi."

"You're not going, are you? It's against school rules." Rose crossed her arms the way she does, the air of stubbornness swirling around her. Al groaned. _Why did James have to say that in front of her? _He hadn't planned on going, anyway, but that was no reason to not get Rose worked up over it. After all, rose is very fond of _rules._

"Of course not, Rosie. I would _never_ break school rules." Al and Scorpius laughed as they passed her. "I'm hungry, Scorp. Let's go eat." Soon enough, just before they got to the Great Hall for dinner, the pitter-patter of Rose's feet came running after them. With a groan, Al said, "On second thought, I'm not so hungry. Let's go out to the grounds and practice spells by the lake."

They soon found themselves brandishing their wands and slashing them out into the water. They worked wordlessly, concentrating hard on the magic at hand. In the three years that they've known each other, Albus and Scorpius had practiced and tried out several styles of magic. They found that using wordless spells was a lot more efficient when power wasn't as important as stealth. And since the beginning of their third year several months before, they've been practicing out by the lake every other day.

As the sky darkened and the sun cast a dark glow over the shimmery water, Albus decided to call it quits.

"You really messed up today, Albus." Scorpius was in serious mode, now. Albus nodded solemnly in response, letting his friend continue. "We're not supposed to reveal what we're capable of. If the Professors found out we were trying to advance ourselves they would get suspicious and keep an eye on us. If the other students, _especially_ your brother, began to suspect what we're up to..."

Albus continued to nod, finally sighing in defeat. "It wasn't smart, I know. But I don't think anyone took notice. You didn't speak loudly enough for anyone but me to hear, and everyone probably assumed I just whispered the spell." Albus grinned then, "Besides, people see what they _want_ to see. Who would think a third year could cast spells without saying a word?"

Scorpius grudgingly acknowledged the possibilities. "But still, we have to be more careful. People are _always_ suspicious of those who seek power."

"Albus Dumbledore, my namesake, was the most powerful wizard in the whole world... I wonder if they ever questioned his motives." They began to make their way back to the castle.

"I'm sure they did, at some point. But no use worrying about dead men- race you back to the Common Room!" Albus laughed as Scorpius took off with surprising speed and quickly followed.

----

At breakfast the next morning, Albus was busying himself with some toast when Scorp elbowed him in the side. Al looked up, just in time to see long, white-blonde hair swish past. Albus trailed the girl with his eyes, taking in the full beauty of Alice Longbottom. She was in the same year as Albus and Scorpius, and was the daughter of Professor Longbottom, whom Albus knew since he was very young.

Albus sighed as the pale-skinned girl took her place at the Gryffindor table, next to Rose and his brother, James. Albus' muscles tightened as he saw James lean over and whisper something in the blonde's ear, making her giggle. James turned his head slightly and gave Al a wink, before turning back to his breakfast.

"That annoying git _knows_ I fancy her..." Al muttered miserably, letting his head fall into the soft folds of his robed arms.

"Don't worry, mate. There's plenty of fish in the sea. No reason to waste all your bait on just one." Scorp patted his friend on the back sympathetically before turning back to the _Daily Prophet._

"Yeah. You're probably right..." Al continued to watch the girl, who talked enthusiastically with Rose. At one point, he caught a flash of those brilliant blue eyes and nearly melted right there. With a deep groan of longing, Al forced himself up from the table. Scorp, with a knowing grin, got up as well, leaving the _Prophet_ on the table.

They made their way to their first class of the day, Al and Scorp's favorite, Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Today, to Al's dismay, they were learning about Stunning Spells. While the rest of the class paid close attention to Professor Thomas, Al and Scorp talked quietly amongst themselves. A half-hour passed before the teacher began explaining the spell's practical uses, by which time Al and Scorp's conversation had died away. Al spent the rest of the time drawing Alice, a dopey grin on his face.

When he finally finished, he looked at his work seriously, surprised at how good it was. Muttering a spell, the drawing came alive, the black-and-white Alice smiling and winking at Al. Al, in turn, grinned stupidly back.

"Mr. Potter, is there something exceedingly funny about knocking one of your classmates out?" Professor Thomas had now turned his gaze on Al, who took on a look of confusion. The class had been discussing the safety issues with using the Stunning Spell on other students.

"Uhm, no, sir. I was just, uh, having an amusing flashback," Al lied, slipping the doodle off his desk.

"Ah, what is this?" Professor Thomas waved his wand, causing Albus' drawing to soar out of his grasp. The Professor gazed at it seriously for a moment, gave Al an understanding nod, and quickly folded the parchment and placed it in the folds of his robes. "In future classes, I expect you to pay more attention, Mr. Potter."

Al only nodded in response, disheartened at having lost what could have been his best drawing ever. The class soon ended and Albus soon found himself flanked by Rose and Scorpius. "So, my friend, what was on the parchment? An elaborate plot to take over the school?"

Rose rolled her eyes, "Don't be stupid. Al wouldn't do something like that." Scorpius gave her his best smile. Rose was always one to take everything literally and seriously.

"Of course not, cutie. I was only breaking the ice with a little sarcasm..."

Rose glared at Scorpius, "Don't call me cutie!"

"How about sweetheart? Lovely? Thorn of the Rose that pricks my heart so?"

"Oh ha ha, a rose joke... Because my name is Rose. How witty," Rose scrunched up her nose, the way she does when she's annoyed, and briskly walked away having forgotten all about why she followed Al.

"You'll get her eventually," Al said doubtfully.

"I know. It's only a matter of time. But, like I said, no reason to use all your bait on one fish," Scorp smiled at a passing girl, who blushed. "So, Al, what happened back there in class?"

"Oh, it was nothing..." Scorp could sense that it would do him no good to press the matter, so he began to discuss their next class, Potions.

"I think I figured out why our Potions master doesn't exactly like you, Al," Scorpius began, giving his friend a small smile. "I asked my dad about Professor Robards via owl, and he sent me a letter back telling me all about him. Gawain Robards was an Auror for the Ministry for many years, and was the Head of the Auror Office. That is, until your father took that position for himself..."

Al groaned as they made their way to the dungeons, descending into the damp darkness. "You'd think a guy would have enough balls to take up their problems with those responsible." Al sighed dramatically, "I think I have lost all faith in humanity."

Scorp snorted just as they crossed the threshold into the Potions classroom. Half of everybody in their year was there, around 25 people. Al and Scorpius took their seat at a table together, where a fat cauldron sat waiting. They unpacked their many ingredients, preparing for another grueling lesson.

"All right, you little worms," a rough voice spoke from the head of the classroom as a tall, lean figure stepped forward. Professor Robards' head was shaved completely bald, and he had a menacing looking golden goatee. When he grinned, there was no happiness in his hard, steel eyes. "Today we'll be concocting a Wit-Sharpening Potion, because Merlin knows you all need one." His eyes swept the classroom, daring anyone to smile or respond in any way. "Turn to page one hundred and seventy-eight. No talking to anyone but your partner." He then turned around, to examine a potion of his own making that he had been working on before the class arrived.

As Al opened his book, he couldn't help but let his gaze drift. This was one of the only two classes that he got to see Alice, so he could not miss an opportunity to drink in her beauty once more.

"Okay... Two and three quarters of hot water." Scorp pulled a measuring cup from his bag then placed the tip of his wand above the empty cup. "_Auguamenti,_" Scorp whispered, canceling the spell as the water hit the right amount. As Scorpius busied himself, Al finally broke his gaze from the blonde girl, just before she turned to look around, as if she had sensed him looking at her.

As the two heated their cauldron, Scorp spoke softly, "Maybe you could talk to her. You've known her father all your life, and you've been around her a few times before, too. Why not just ask her out?" Al glared at his friend.

"You know why. She _hates_ Slytherin house!" He spoke a little louder than he had meant to, causing more than a few heads to turn. He smiled apologetically, earning a few grunts of annoyance. The Professor didn't seem to notice.

It was true, of course. Though Al had known her for a long time before Hogwarts, as soon as the Sorting Hat spoke the word 'Slytherin' while upon his head, whatever relationship they had was terminated almost immediately. He had tried to talk to her on several occasions, only to get the cold shoulder, or worse... an outright rebuke. Al stared down at the bubbling cauldron, which was now turning a purplish color, remembering one certain incident, the last time he had approached her.

----

"But, Alice, just _talk _to me. What harm can that do?" It was their second year, and Al was fed up with being silent about his infatuation with the girl. Though he did not admit his feelings, he wanted to get them back on a first name basis at the very least.

He was following her across the green grounds of Hogwarts, as she walked hurriedly in an attempt to get away. "Go away, Potter." Her voice was so low that Al had almost not heard it. This angered him. _She doesn't even want to be heard _talking_ to me!_ In his anger, he reached out and grabbed her wrist, stopping her in mid-step. She whipped around, pulling herself out of his grasp.

Almost, _almost_, before Al could react, Alice's wand was at his neck. _She's fast!_ But Al's wand was also out, its tip placed right above her heart. Both of them were surprised at the speed of the other's draw.

"Don't _ever_ assume you can just grab whosoever you want, Potter!" She seethed, seemingly not caring who heard her now.

"I just want to talk with you, Alice..." Al said gently, noticing the many students around the courtyard that had stopped what they were doing to watch.

"There's nothing to talk about, you vile snake," she spat, stepping away and turning her back on him. He lowered his wand, a deep ache in his stomach making him want to throw up. He couldn't understand why she hated him so.

Amazingly, later that night, all Al could think about was how physically close they had been to each other that day.

----

"Are you bored, Mr. Potter? Are my lessons not _thrilling_ enough for the son of the great and famous Harry Potter?"

Al blinked in surprise, coming out of his trance. Professor Robards was now standing at the head of AL and Scorp's shared table, arms crossed. "Ten points from Slytherin, for lack of focus. And I hope you brew your potion well, Mr. Potter, because it seems to me that you need a nice draught of it. I expect you to make a full report on the effects of your potion, due at the beginning of the next class."

As soon as the Professor was out of earshot, Al let out a groan and let his head plop against the hard wood of the table. "Scorp, just put me out of my misery... Nothing is going right today!"

----

A few days later, on a Saturday, Al and Scorpius sat on the grass of the Quidditch Pitch, staring up at the Gryffindor Quidditch team as they practiced. James, along with his friend Teal Brown, were the Beaters. A fifth year student named Gregory Giles played as the keeper. And the Chasing Trio were the Chasers. They were called the Chasing Trio because they were triplets, two boys and a girl. The two boys were named Kevin and Devin, and the girl was named Yevin. Or Kev, Dev, and Yev for short. Funnily enough, their last name was Chase. The three were in their sixth year and had been on the team for three years running. They worked amazingly well together.

And the Gryffindor Seeker, and Team Captain, was Mary Wood. She was in her final year at Hogwarts, and had been on the team as a Seeker since her second year. She was a small, slender woman with the new Firebolt Mark II, and an unstoppable Seeker.

She was really pretty, too, which is what had once led to one of Albus' most dear memories. James, in his infinitely complex mind, thought it would be romantic to send her a Howler for her birthday the year before, screeching out a love poem he wrote. Needless to say, the whole Great Hall was in an uproar of laughter. And it was a week before James was let back out of the Hospital Wing, his tongue so swollen he couldn't speak and his hands so enlarged he couldn't write. To this day, no one knows exactly what spell she had used.

"Those triplets must have some connection that us mere single-borns lack. How do they always seem to know where to pass the Quaffle, as well as where to go when the Quaffle is passed? I mean, look!" Devin just tossed the Quaffle behind him, just before ducking under a Bludger, where his sister, Yev, caught it immediately. "How did he know she was there?" Scorp looked on, genuinely perplexed. "Maybe it's a spell?"

"I have a theory, actually," Al said, looking over at his friend. "I think you're right about them having some extra sense- I think they may be able to feel each other. Who's to say twins, triplets, or even quadruplets born from a Wizarding family doesn't have some abnormal power that we, born by our pitiful lonesome selves, lack? My dad told me stories about my Uncle George and his own twin, Fred... Said they would finish each other's sentences, even seem to know what the other was thinking. Mum agreed with him."

Scorpius looked at Albus seriously for a moment, then shrugged. "I won't say it's impossible."

Al looked down at his wand, an eleven and a half-inch of cedar, with a dragon heartstring core. He smiled fondly as he remembered the day he took the wand into his hand, feeling its warmth and acceptance. It had taken him five tries before finding the perfect wand, and he was happy with the results. Ollivander, the old and weary man that he is, was _not _happy with the mess the other four wands made on Al's behalf. "What say you, dear friend?" Al whispered to his wand, though Scorpius looked over with an arched eyebrow and Al looked up and grinned at his friend mischievously. "Let's make this practice a bit more... interesting?"

Al's grin was infectious, and Scorpius soon found himself smiling as well. The duo stood up and made their way away from the Quidditch pitch, stopping around ten yards away. Albus and Scorpius raised and pointed their wands in the direction of the Quidditch Pitch.

"Okay, first experiment on combining magic... How do you think it will go?" Al said in a monotone, making it sound as boring as possible. He grinned again, unable to keep a straight face.

"Terribly wrong. That's how things usually turn out, anyway," Scorp nodded to himself solemnly. They stood back to back, holding out their respective wands, arms pressed together in the air. Albus was right handed, and Scorpius was left-handed.

"On three... One, two.. Three! Ventus!"

"Ventus!"

The eruption of wind from their wands blew the two Slytherins of their feet, sending them rolling across the grass. Al was on his feet as quick as possible, immediately backing away from the area of destruction before him. Where they had been standing, now at least two meters away from where Al stood presently, the grass was torn away in a widening 'V' shape until it hit the Pitch. All of the Gryffindor team was grounded, their heads swiveling in shock and confusion. Many of those who had been watching the practice were now making their way to the beginning point of the spell.

Al ran over to his friend, who had somehow managed to be a good ten feet away, and began shaking him. "We have to get out of here, Scorp! They're coming!" Al looked over his shoulder nervously as his friend roused. "Oh, stop milking it you big wuss!" Scorp finally got to his feet, and Al wasted no time dragging his friend out of sight, hiding behind a large cluster of rocks near the lake. Peeking over the cold stone that Al was lying against, he saw a crowd forming at the beginning point of the spell. They were talking in low whispers, glancing around, seemingly looking for the perpetrator.

"They'll think one person did it," Scorp said, with a triumphant grin. "I think we successfully overlapped our magic!"

Albus looked over at his friend, his mind swirling with all the possibilities of this new technique. "So they won't be looking for a couple of third year students, who shouldn't be able to cast that strong of a spell!" Al said excitedly, then added, "Also, we better go over there... It'll look suspicious if we don't turn up after being there so recently. And if we get caught hiding, what would they think?"

They quickly made an alibi, then strolled over to the group of students. Professor Longbottom was standing with the crowd, now, trying to straighten things out. As the two friends neared, he spotted them. "Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy, I'm surprised to see you two here."

"We were just watching the Gryffindor tryouts, sir," Al said with his most innocent, winning smile. "We had just left to go sit by the lake when we heard an enormous eruption, right Scorp?"

"Yeah. We just got settled down over there," Scorpius pointed in the direction of the rocks where they had been hiding," And we didn't know if it was safe to come out or not, so we decided to, ah, perform some reconnaissance before coming over."

"You mean, you two snakes were watching out for your own skins!" One of the Gryffindors in the growing congregation shouted. Al gritted his teeth, but smiled sheepishly. They had established long ago that most of the school believed Slytherins to be cowards, so it was a good and viable excuse for situations such as these.

Al shrugged and kept his eyes on the Professor. "Well, Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy, did either of you two see anything?"

"No, sir," the two said in unison. An eruption of voices penetrated then with statements like, "They're lying!" and "The cowardly gits..." as well as, "Go crawl back into your holes, you snakes." Al sighed, excusing himself from the group. Scorpius followed.

"All this hatred gets on my nerves sometimes," Scorp remarked, walking alongside his friend. Al nodded his agreement.

"But we'll show them one day just how brave we Slytherins really are."

Everyone was gathered in the Great Hall for dinner that night when Professor Sprout, an elderly and respectable witch who had taken up as Head of Hogwarts a year before Albus was enrolled, silenced the students. "It has come to my attention that students are sneaking out late at night to duel. Though we have not found the room where these infractions happen, we are going to double punishments for all students who are caught roaming the halls after hours." A few murmurs rose from every table, but were silenced when she spoke up once more. "I also must address the matter of the magical occurrence at the Quidditch pitch earlier. Whomever is responsible for the spell must step forward and take responsibility now, while you have the chance. If we are forced to find out who it was on our own, the punishment will be much more severe or even possible expulsion..."

Scorpius and Al blinked, then turned to stare at each other. Dead silence engrossed the Hall.

"And with that said, enjoy your meals," said the Head cheerily, sitting back down to her own table after summoning the delicious plethora of food.

As they ate, Al huddled together with Scorpius, whispering. "She's a goddess, I swear to you," stated Al.

"Who? Professor _Sprout_?" Scorp choked on his pumpkin juice.

"No, you rotten git! Alice..."

"Oh, _God_," Scorp coughed again, clearing his throat as a few fellow Slytherins looked over out of concern. _See? Slytherins can be caring, too_, thought Al to himself. "I thought you had gone and lost it, mate."

Al looked at the straight, white-gold hair cascading down Alice's back for a moment. "I'm going to ask her to the Halloween Ball."

"Are you barking mad?" Scorp said, raising an eyebrow at his friend. "You've been avoiding her all this year and now you want to drop this bomb on her? Look at it from her point of you, man!"

"You were all for me going and asking her out a few days ago," Al pointed out. Scorpius sighed.

"I didn't want to tell you this, mate, but... I saw your brother ask her out just yesterday."

"You saw... He did... What?!" Al had said the last word so unexpectedly loud that even the Hufflepuff table, all the way on the other side of the Hall, looked up from their meals. Al didn't even realize he was standing until Scorp pulled on his sleeve and he looked down at his friend. "Er, sorry," he mumbled miserably, sinking back down into his seat. A few laughs erupted around the hall, but the moment soon passed and everyone was going about their own business.

"I'm sorry, mate. I didn't know how to tell you, so I didn't."

And now Al's vision was completely clear. He didn't just have eyes for Alice Longbottom; he could see everyone and everything. He could _especially_ see the way James was sitting so close to the beautiful girl who had captured Al's heart. He also didn't miss the way the girl seemed to dote on every single word the Gryffindor beater uttered. It was all Al could do not to hex his brother right then and there.

"Hey, maybe we should just leave. I'm not hungry, anyway." Al nodded in agreement, having only stayed to let his friend eat in the first place. When they entered the Slytherin Common Room, with its glowing blue lighting and green furnishings, they took some open armchairs by the brazier.

"Scorp... I can't tell if this is betrayal or not, but it sure feels like one..." Al sighed, laying his head back against the leather back of the chair and closing his eyes.

"I think your brother and his Gryffindor pals are a little backward with their comments about Slytherins. What kind of prat does that to his own brother, no matter what differences they have?"

"The kind of prat that deserves a little vengeance, I think." Al grinned, imagining using the Bat-Bogey hex his mom taught him on James.

"I don't disagree with you..." They sat in silence for a moment, until more Slytherins walked into the Common Room. One of them strolled over to Al and stood beside his chair. Al, sensing the presence of the person, opened one eye to look over to his left at the girl standing there, arms crossed. Amy Nott, a dark-haired girl with vibrant green eyes, much like Al's. Her pale complexion appealed to Al, because it reminded him so much of Alice. She was a good looking girl, on all accounts, and Al had found himself staring at places other than her face on more than one occasion.

"What was up with you at lunch, Al?" In Al's early years, he had mostly ignored her. He had always fancied Alice, and had tried to keep himself true to his devotion. But now, with the pain of betrayal and heartache fresh on his mind, he couldn't help but see a perfect opportunity standing right in front of him. She had always fancied him, though Al made sure to hide that he knew. She made half-baked advances on him at some point, but stopped after seeing he was "too thick" to pick up on it. But now, seeing the light pink color of her lips, the astonishing beauty of her eyes, and the swell of her chest above her crossed arms he knew what to do.

"Will you go to the Halloween Ball with me, Amy?" _Amy, Alice... Who cares? I don't want to go to the dance alone._

"Wh-what? This is so unexpected... What if I've been asked by another boy, hmm?" _Oh, great, _now_ she tries to play hard to get._

_"_Oh, well, okay then... I guess I can go with Lauren Scammander... She's nice." Amy's emerald eyes flashed at this, seemingly fizzling with power and loathing.

"That _Ravenclaw_ girl? No, no, no! She's so... So _weird, _Al!" Her hands were now on her hips and her head was cocked slightly to the side, allowing for her shiny, shoulder length bangs to cascade over half of her face in her normal fashion, while the rest of her hair trailed down her back. Al thought this was immensely cute.

"Then go with me, Amy," Al said tiredly, but allowing a tinge of want to enter his voice.

Deciding now was _not_ the time to play coy; she eagerly nodded her head. "We'll have so much fun, Albus!" She leaned down and gave a quick peck on his cheek, then turned and fled to the girls' dormitories. Albus grinned, having seen the blush spreading across her face just before she ran off.

"Deftly done, my friend," Scorp praised, and Albus laughed. "No, I'm serious. It was like watching an especially gifted artist at work."

"Oh, get off it, you," Al said playfully, standing up to stretch. "Well, unless you have any _more_ good news for me, I think it's time for bed."

"Well, I didn't want to tell you this for another few days, but..." Al gave him a dark look. Scorp paused for a moment and Al sighed.

"Go on, then."

"I was planning on asking your sister to the dance."

"What?!"

Scorpius erupted in laughter, bending over trying to hold it all in. "No..." He gasped. "I'm just foolin'." Al punched him in the arm.

----

**A/N:**

**I think that was a good start, don't you? Okay, to get a few things straight. I'm trying to keep a lot of the characters' last names from Rowling's books, and some of her other characters, as well. Like the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was Dean Thomas.**

**So, more likely than not, when you see a character it will be the son or daughter of some major or minor character in the Harry Potter series. With that said, I hope you enjoyed this and please review with what you think and any questions you may have. Thanks.**


	2. The War Begins

It was Monday, and the Halloween Ball was the upcoming Saturday. Al, having solved his date-less problem, wasn't too worried. He and Scorp spent their whole day bored in their classes, each having different but similar thoughts.

Scorpius, in the classes with Rose Weasley, stared at her with a thoughtful look on his face. He didn't know how to win her over, and had tried on several occasions. He could get a date to the dance anytime he wanted, but was holding it off. He knew it wasn't likely that he would get Rose, but he felt it was worth a try. Scorpius was a boy who desires the impossible; hoping to obtain all kinds of achievements and "trophies" in life. Getting Rose to like him was an infatuating and almost obsessive urge. But, though he did like Rose quite a lot, he had no trouble with picking someone else as a last resort of a mere dance. Rose would eventually be his, he knew. She was the type of challenge that he just lived to meet.

Al, on the other hand, was hurt. In the two classes he had with Alice, he didn't bother saying anything to her, but rather sent her hurt looks and painful expressions. This, of course, she ignored or didn't notice. The whole day he thought of her, until Herbology class in the last period of the day.

"Hey, Al!" An excited Amy was standing next to him, a small blush on her face.

"Hey, Amy," Al said distractedly, slowly pulling himself back to reality, out of his daydream.

"I can't wait for Saturday," Amy said enthusiastically, as she examined a potted creature. When she poked it, it squirmed.

"Yeah," Al said, his eyes just now focusing. "It's going to be great."

The conversation kind of died off there, so Albus busied himself with his own squirming plant as Professor Longbottom instructed them in the proper care of such magical foliage. Al, needless to say, wasn't very interested and his mind began wandering again.

"Found a date to the dance," Scorp said proudly, from behind his friend. He had been away from Al for most of the class, which had confused Albus up until now.

"Well, I know it's not Rose... So who is it?" Al was getting angry at his pot; it's inhabitant was now trying to stick him with a newly sprouted thorn. The thorn seemed, to Al's cautious gaze, to be elongating and dripping some sort of purple liquid.

"Lauren Scammander," Scorpius said with a chuckle, and Al couldn't help but smile. Lauren was the daughter of Luna Scammander neé Lovegood, his mum's best friend. She was the spitting image of her mother, with long blonde hair and silvery gray eyes. She was also a bit... eccentric. Al once overheard his mum and Mrs. Scammander talking, discussing Lauren's unique attitude. They had talked about how Luna was the same way at her age, but had grown out of it. Al, liking the young girl just as she was, didn't mind if she never grew out of it.

"I guess this means Rose turned you down?"

"Nope. Didn't bother to ask," Scorp said, now noticing the reason Al wasn't looking at him while they spoke. "Hey. You know the whole reason we're in here is so you can cut off the spindles, right? Weren't you listening, mate?"

Al blinked, now noticing the pair of garden clippers beside his pot and large tube with a cork at the end. Slapping himself in the forehead for not figuring it out, Al unstopped the tube and set to work. "I hear the Albanian Sticker's acid is worth a pretty galleon," Scorp whispered as Al corked his tube, satisfied that his plant was thornless. It now looked pitifully defeated, slumping slightly over its pot now.

"It also induces a most terrible death, when not properly handled," Professor Longbottom commented, making Al and Scorp jump slightly. Al turned around to see the Professor holding out his hand, waiting for the tube. Al gave it over without a second thought and watched the teacher go down the row to collect the other spindles.

"All right, class. It seems everyone is done now... So you're all dismissed."

Not missing a chance to monopolize on an early dismissal, Al found himself already out of the greenhouse, walking along a path towards the lake. Scorpius and Amy, to Al's slight surprise, were following him. They were soon both on either side of him.

"Where are you off to in such a hurry, Albus?" Amy said, with a slightly hurt expression on her face. Al reflected no how he had basically ignored her throughout the period, and felt a little bad for it.

"Yeah, mate, where to?" Scorp put in cheerily.

"Thought I'd go for a swim, actually," Al said. he had _really_ planned on seeing, or at least glimpsing, Alice before she went into the castle. She was currently in Care of Magical Creatures class, with Hagrid. But, he knew, he couldn't say anything like that in front of Amy.

"Oh..." Amy said, blinking her one visible eye. Al glanced over at her, trying to discern what she was thinking. It was kind of hard, with almost half of her face covered in that fold of silky hair. "Well, I'm just going to go back to the Common Room, then... See you there, Al." She smiled at him, just before taking off. Al sighed as soon as she was out of sight.

"You've got to get over Alice, mate." Scorp said, examining his wand in his hands as they walked.

"You know me too well," Al groaned, running his hand through his hair. They decided to take a dip in the lake anyway, before the water got any colder.

----

The week went by fairly fast, and soon Al found himself on the night of the dance.

He had a knot in his lower stomach, not sure if he was ready. He stared into the large mirror, pivoting his body this way and that, checking if everything was all right. His dress robes were new and were very nice. His colors shown brightly, green and silvery gray trimming the black robes. Finally deciding that he looked all right, he went down the stairs to the Common room, where he would escort his date. Scorpius had already departed to meet up with Lauren.

Upon entering the room, he was completely stunned by what awaited him. Amy had put her hair up in a magnificent bun, with trailing curls of silky black hair protruding at many angles, almost looking like snakes. Her bangs were split into two equal portions, each framing her beautiful face, trailing down to the base of her neck. The two locks of hair swayed slightly as she turned her head to smile at him, which tightened the knot in his stomach that much more. Her dress looked as if it were made of glistening viridian water, with a V-neck, and it was modestly cut off a short way past her knees. It was a simple dress, but was more beautiful and amazing for it.

He reached her and held out his arm, his own smile feeling natural. "You look especially beautiful tonight, Amy."

"You don't look too bad yourself, Al," she said, linking her arm with his.

They chatted politely as they made their way up from the dungeons, other couples milling about as well. When they made it to the entrance of the Great Hall they were met with a large crowd. The lights were dim, and flailing bodies were everywhere.

Standing on the tips of his toes, Al was able to look past the grinding crowd. Inside the hall was packed, with flashing lights of all the house colors. Ghosts wailed as they swooped around the room, and the ceiling was a dark red, with a bloody moon. "Happy Halloween" could be seen in flaming letters all over.

"Come on, Al, let's dance!" Amy pulled excitedly on his arm, pushing their way into the Hall. Soon enough, Al found himself in the heart of the waving mass of bodies. Due to the general closeness of everyone, Al himself was closer to his date than he had thought he'd be.

With his hands on her hips, and her own hands linked around his neck, they did heir best to keep up with the others to the beat of the music.

Al, to his immense surprise, was actually having fun. He found it quite natural to just let himself go and let the music make his body move. All the while, his face was plastered with a grin as he danced with Amy, his concentration all on her.

An hour passed before the music began to slow and the Hall began to get less cramped. Some were sneaking out for a little alone time, and others were sitting down to take a rest and get something to drink. Al, on the other hand, took advantage of the slow music and less crowded area to pull his date close and slow dance with her. It was relaxing, to finally let his body cool down from the hour of nonstop moving.

A few more minutes and the band began to play their fast music once more, the beat corresponding with the wails of the ghost made the hair on the back of Al's neck raise. "I'm going to get us something to drink," Al said, wanting to take a longer break. She nodded, her face slightly flushed. The room really was quite hot.

Finding the refreshment table was easy... it had been getting their that was the hard part. Al had to fight past the grinding bodies once more, and was thankful that he had reached the long table before the beat hit its peak.

"Hey, Albus!" James grinned, pulling away from Alice. She gave him an odd stare, just before turning and walking from the Hall. Al raised his eyebrow at his brother. He had not talked to him since he had found out that James had asked Alice to the dance. He decided it still wasn't worth the bother and continued to pour two cups of pumpkin juice. James, obviously not taking the rebuke very well, sent the cups flying with a wave of his wand.

Al clenched his jaw tight, biting back a hundred hexes that had just sprung to his mind. He even had to physically hold his right hand with his left to keep himself from drawing his own wand.

"I said, _hey_, Albus. Don't ignore your one and only brother." James was now standing beside Al, his arms crossed, wand still in hand.

It took all of Al's control to take a deep breathe and force out a small, "Hey, James..." _After all_, Al thought_, I don't want to ruin a perfectly good night by putting my brother in the Hospital wing..._

"That's more like it," James said, seemingly satisfied. "You know, Alice is quite a catch... And all the guys love Professor Longbottom, him being the owner of the Leaky Cauldron and all. Sorry if I got in your way with her, or whatever." James, pouring himself a cup of pumpkin juice, took a long draught. When he was finished, he threw the cup down and shook his head, letting out a long "Aa-ah. This juice is a whole lot better than I remember it."

He slurred his words a little. With a blink of surprise, and a smirk of mirth, Al realized the juice was spiked. He took a quick glimpse around, to see how many people were affected. By the stumbles of many, Al knew it was almost everyone. He laughed to himself, turning around to go find Amy and Scorp.

"Hey, don't walk away from me!" James said, putting his hand on Al's shoulder. Rolling his eyes, Al turned around, drawing his wand slowly, imperceptibly...

"I've got a lot to say to you..." He gulped another cup of juice down in one swallow. "And I want you to listen to, ah, what I've got to say..." When he went to pour himself another cup, Al reached out and stopped him.

"I think you've had enough for one night, James." As much of a pain as his brother was, and a backstabbing git, he still loved him. He didn't want to see his big brother embarrass himself because he was acting like a drunken fool.

"Don't touch me! You seem to think you can do whatever you want, don't you, Al? Yeah, Amy told me about what you did to her last year... You can't just grab whomever you damn well like!"

Now Al was angry. _Why would she tell him? It wasn't even that big of a deal!_ Al raged inside his head, still holding back the spells that were bursting from the depths of his mind. "I just wanted to talk to her," Al seethed.

"Yeah, and what else? You're a little perv, huh? All you snakes are... hey, don't point that at me!"

Al had his wand pressed firmly into James' face, trying to think of a reason not to turn that smug look of his into a grimace of pain. Just as James was raising his wand, his mouth opening to speak a spell, it had hit him. A jet of green light burst from the tip of Al's cedar wand, lighting up the immediate area. James fell back, as if in slow motion, falling, falling, falling...

And then there were screams coming from everywhere. Mass panic ensued, everyone screaming that James Potter had been killed. Screams of the killing curse echoed around the room, and everyone was running.

Al blinked, staring around at the people. Many were looking at him in shock. Al was confused... W_hat are they doing_?

Al looked down at his brother, who had something bulging from his left nostril now. And, to Al's enormous pleasure, gooey-green bats began pouring from James' nose. Soon enough, the bogey-bats were flying all around the room, terrorizing all in sight.

Al tucked away his wand, grinning down at his handy work. The bats were still climbing from his big brother's nose, as James himself lies there unconscious. _I think I over did it, though. I don't think this many were supposed to come out._

Amy, Scorpius, and Lauren were now at Albus' side, talking rapidly, asking so many questions. Al just shook his head, not feeling like explaining. He just wanted to enjoy his small moment of revenge. The bogey-bats were now all out, and most had flown out of the Hall's great doors to follow their victims.

"Mr. Potter! What is the meaning of this?" Professor Sprout, the Headmistress, was staring down at the unconscious from of Al's brother.

"He was drunk, Professor. Someone spiked the pumpkin juice. He pointed his wand at me, and as I was taught in Defense Against the Dark Arts, I did not let him. This, I'm afraid, is the outcome." Al shook his head solemnly, trying to convey his most utter regret. On the inside, though, he couldn't help but feel this was the perfect ending to a wonderful night. It seemed his ploy had worked, and Professor Sprout took his word on it. A few more teachers arrived, after making sure that everyone else had been sorted out and was safe. They took James off to the Hospital wing, and told the remaining students to get back to their dormitories.

Walking alongside Amy and Scorp, Al couldn't help but grin. "This night has been wonderful; what do you two think?"

"It was good up until I heard 'killing curse,' I must admit," sighed Scorp.

"It was certainly eventful," put in Amy. Al wrapped his arms around his two friends' respective shoulders, grinning happily as they made their way into the dungeons.

"Are you sure you didn't drink any of that juice, mate?" Scorp eyed his friend suspiciously.

"Only enough to top me off, my friend. And the juice of revenge tasted quite fine tonight," Al smacked his lips, to emphasize the tastiness of 'the dish best served cold.' They all laughed.

----

Al's little stunt at the Ball seemed to boost his favorability in Slytherin House even higher than before. Almost every Slytherin he saw the next day clapped him on the back or gave him a triumphant, seemingly knowing grin. A Slytherin member liked nothing if not seeing a Gryffindor getting beaten in a fair or overmatched fight. And the fact that James was Al's brother seemed to give the story an air of mystery and awe.

Rumors spread quickly on what had 'really' happened. Al listened all throughout the week of retelling of how it actually went down.

"I saw them draw their wands, quick as vipers, though Al was faster, to be sure. Of course, any Gryffindor is no match for a Slytherin, especially one who is thirsty and is being prevented from getting a quick drink..."

"I actually watched them, didn't I? Saw them cast so many spells of different colors that it all seemed to all blur into one powerful one, I think. That's why everyone thought it was the killing curse, you see!"

"Albus caught James trying to force himself onto Al's girl, and put that dirty rat in his place, too, didn't he?"

Of course, Al also had to bare even more hatred from the Gryffindor side of the 'war' that seemed to have started since Al's Bat-Bogey hex. He had heard that he sneaked up on James, casting a dangerous curse on his innocent brother. He was forced to sit through interrogations from curious, and slightly proud, Slytherins who had heard that Al was actually trying to steal _James'_ girl. Al firmly denied it, but wondered how far from the truth that actually was.

For the most part, however, Al enjoyed the week. He felt good for getting back at his brother. And he felt even better that he had released all his pent up frustration and anger through that one hex... Which got him thinking, _Why was the spell so powerful?_

After the last period of class, Al found himself wandering the grounds alone. He had been thinking a lot that day about his hex, wondering why it was so powerful. Could it have been from the intense emotions he was feeling? Was it due to the fact that James' had a lot of bogies in the first place? The latter made Al snicker. Al continued to think, letting his feet drag him where they will.

Eventually, he came out of his trance to realize he was at Hagrid's hut. He smiled fondly at the shabby looking shack; it's wooden exterior, with various skins of animals hanging along the walls. He could see through a grimy window into the interior, where a very large armchair sat beside a fireplace and round table. But, from what he could see, the Care of Magical Creatures teacher was not home. He shrugged, making his way around the hut to get a better view of the lake. He stopped suddenly, freezing all movement and breathing. He heard voices nearby, seemingly just around on the other side of the hut.

"We'll get the Slytherins back with tonight's raid..."

"Do you even know where their dormitories are?"

"Of course he does, his brother is in Slytherin, or are you too stupid to remember that?"

"I know that! But I don't think he would reveal something like that to a Gryffindor..."

"They're _brothers_, you imbecile! Of course they have a different sort of relationship, right James?"

"Eh, I know where the git's Common Room is."

"See there? Told you!" A soft thump followed this, with a yelp responding. Al assumed the guy who doubted James' knowledge of the Slytherin House had just been popped in the arm. Al recognized the latest voice as Gregory Giles, the Gryffindor Quidditch Keeper and the other voice to be James' best friend, Teal Brown.

"I don't think this is such a great idea, James..." Alice's voice loomed in the air, and Al blinked in surprise. He was a little shocked, thinking that she hated Slytherins even more than his brother did.

"We've been over this a million times, Alice! We won't get caught if we stick to the plan..." James voice was soothing, and sickening to Al's ears. He took on a different tone when talking to Alice, which made him almost sound _human_. Like he had compassion.

"But, James, this is so wrong! It was just a bat-bogey hex, nothing more!"

"That hex," James seethed, "humiliated me."

"Oh, poor you," Al could almost hear Alice roll her eyes. "Don't be so petty, James! He's your brother, just forgive him..."

"He never said sorry! How am I supposed to forgive someone who doesn't apologize?" James was almost yelling now. Al could hear his brother taking deep breathes to try and calm himself. "I love my brother; I really do, but that hex... It wasn't normal. It knocked me out, remember? Bat-bogey hexes don't do that! And when I woke up... I sneezed a half-formed bogey-bat..."

Al cracked up at that point. He immediately realized his mistake, as he heard the rush of moving feet. Panicking, Al rushed for the door of the hut. Finding it was locked, he quickly whispered, "Alohomora," and hearing a _click_, he stepped through and quickly shut the door and locked it once more. Peering out of the grimy window, he saw the group move into sight. The four of them were looking around, seemingly unable to locate the noise they had heard.

Al sighed a breath of relief when he saw them move away, back towards the castle. Slumping into the armchair, smiling in his euphoria at overhearing their plan, he did not notice the sleeping Diricawl he just squashed. With a squak, the small, fluffy bird disappeared.

Immediately Al was back on his feet. Al knew that Hagrid was a notorious keeper of weird animals, but he didn't know he kept them in his _house_. With a small smile of amusement, Al left the hut after opening and relocking the door, and went back to the castle. After all, he had an invasion to plan for...

----

"What do you mean, 'the Gryffindors are planning an invasion,'" Scorp said, an eyebrow raised. Al had just gotten back into the Common room, upon which he had immediately sought out Scorp to tell him everything. "How would they ever get in?"

"Er, he knows where the entrance is," Al said mournfully. It was his fault, after all. He had talked with his dad on several occasions about the Slytherin House quarters. They had talked about its location, it's entrance, and even worse... the unique, but not indiscernible, pattern of passwords that is used to get through the wall. "And despite how stupid my brother looks, he's a clever guy..."

"Oi, what are you giving out our information for?" Scorp said, moaning dramatically as he sank back into his armchair.

"I just wanted to talk to my dad about _something_!" Al never talked about his home life much. For the past three years he had felt like a bit of an outcast when the Weasleys and Potters got together. Every one of them were in, or had been in, Gryffindor, save Aunt Fleur. The only one who seemed to be perfectly okay, and even a little proud, was his father. Though Lily and Scorpius had a whole lot more in common with their shared father, Al always felt like he and his dad had some sort of shared secret. Like they were more alike than anyone else could see.

"Don't go having a little pity party, mate. We've got to work out a plan to stop them."

"They said they had a pretty much flawless plan to get in and out undetected..." Scorp snorted.

"Undetected? Fourth, fifth, and third years busting into our Common room _undetected_?" He seemed to find this immensely funny, because he continued to laugh. Al, being the great and noble friend that he is, hit him hard in his shoulder. "Ow!"

"Well, you deserved it! I'm serious, Scorp... James may be a boastful git, but he wouldn't do something so reckless unless he thought he could get away with it." Scorp seemed to sigh in defeat, and only shrugged.

"Well, _if_ they get in, we still need a plan to stop them. Did you hear what they were going to do?"

"No, they didn't say anything about what they would do once inside. But if we play our cards right, we won't have to find out."

"We're going to take on three wizards and a witch by ourselves? Three of them one or two years ahead of us?"

"Well, why not?"

"Because we're _third years_, that's why not!"

"We're _exceptional_, third years, though," Al said with a grin. Scorp merely rolled his eyes.

"And you say your _brother_ is a boastful git?" Al punched him in the arm again, though not as hard as before. They both laughed.

"Okay, okay... We need to assume that they're able to get in. When they're in, we have to stop them before they can do anything," Al said, scratching the top of his head in thought. "There's only one way into this room; the wall. So, as soon as they get through, we can just stun them."

"Will it really be so easy? You know, you said they had this masterful plan that couldn't be foiled..."

"Yeah, yeah. But this is _James_ we're talking about! He probably assumes that nobody will be expecting him, and that he can just waltz right in and do... do... Do whatever it is he's planning on doing."

"Well, whatever it is, I don't think we ought to find it out. We have no choice but to stop your brother, Al!"

"Stop him from doing what?" A curious voice spoke up from behind Albus, making him jump up from his seat in surprise. He had thought they were alone in the Common Room.

"Amy! Um, nothing. He, uh, was just..." Amy was now raising an eyebrow at Al, and he couldn't think of anything to say. Scorpius rose from his seat, putting on an easy smile.

"Amy, we're glad to see you."

Al shot his friend a shocked and surprised look. "We are?" Scorp immediately glared in Al's direction, and Al recovered himself. "I mean, yeah. We are." Now Amy was looking at them both suspiciously.

"What are you two up to?"

"Can't tell you..." Scorp said, his smile turning into a smirk. "Unless you want in on it?" Now that Al could see Scorp's intentions, he took a step towards Amy and gave her a smile of his own. She blushed.

"We need a little help for something tonight. And Amy, I can't imagine a more suitable witch than yourself," Al said, throwing his arms out and raising his palms upwards in a shrug.

"Really, Albus?"

Giving the girl his best smile, Al nodded, "Really."

----

It was nearly midnight, and the Common Room was dark. The brazier was dark, only embers glowing in its hearth. The overhead lights were a soft blue-green, where the lake could be seen in the glass ceiling. The room was comfortably warm, despite the fire being out.

"Al... Are you sure they were really planning to break in here?" Amy said with a small yawn. The trio had spaced themselves out across the Common Room, hiding behind several different objects. Amy, who was hiding on behind an armchair, while still maintaining a full view of the entrance wall, looked a little doubtful of Al's suspicions.

Al nodded from behind a large leather couch. He was peering over it, to look at the entrance, and Amy was able to see his nonverbal response. Al glanced over at Scorpius, who was beside the fireplace, hiding behind in the crook of the jutting out bricks and the wall. He nodded to him, and Scorp nodded back.

Al didn't think that Amy was taking this very seriously. Four Gryffindors were going to invade their House, and she didn't fully believe him. Also, as it got later, Al was beginning to doubt himself. Maybe he heard them wrong? Maybe they were just blowing smoke...

The wall began to creek, and Al ducked his head behind the couch. He heard a small "eep" from Amy's general direction. They were all clear on the plan: stun the intruders once they were inside. Crouching low, Al peeked around the side of the couch and look at the entrance. The wall was open, but there was nothing there. Al blinked a few times, thinking that his eyes were tricking him. Still there was nothing.

But, despite the lack of people at the entrance, Al did not move from his spot. _James must have expected someone would try to stop him... Maybe it was because they heard me laugh?_

"No one is here, James." It was Alice's voice, coming out of nowhere from the direction of the entrance in a whisper.

"No, someone heard us.. I'm sure of it," Al's brother whispered back, still from seemingly nowhere.

"Oh, come off it James! The chances of a Slytherin being near Hagrid's hut are, well, one gazillion to none!" The heated voice of Giles floated around the room.

"You're not remembering my brother, Giles... He's always where he has no business being."

"Oh, can't we just take this stupid cloak of now? How are we supposed to set off the Wildfire Whiz-bangs with this cloak covering us?" It was Teal's voice, and he was sounding a little nervous.

"Fine, fine! Let's just get on with it," James said.

Al heard a swishing, like a sheet being swept through the air, and then all four of them were standing there. James and Alice had their wands out, but the other two were busying themselves with a rather large bag. "Pretty wicked that your uncle gave you the Deflagration Deluxe set!" Teal exclaimed as they poured the contents of the bag out and began putting them into some sort of order. _So that's their plan!_ Al frowned. _They were going to destroy the Slytherin Common Room, and with all those fireworks..._ Al had seen the Deflagration Deluxe at work. Even in a wide-open space, it made lots of noise and light. In an enclosed place, the fireworks would trail to the dormitories, lavatories...It'd put the whole House into chaos for at least half an hour. And after that, everything would be destroyed.

Al glared at the four Gryffindors. And Slytherins were supposed to be cowardly schemers? James didn't have bollocks enough to face Al man to man...

Al watched as James continued to glance around, guarding over his two friends who were assembling the fireworks. Alice seemed a little reluctant to be there, and kept glancing at the entranceway. It had seemingly been jinxed to stay open. _Does she want to leave? Does she not want to be here?_ Al clung to this small hope. Perhaps she didn't hate Slytherin as much as he once thought. Maybe she feels a bit sorry for the way he was treated by her for so long...

"James, we'll be able to get away, right? I don't think I could bear being expelled..." Alice bit her lip, giving James a worried look. James nodded reassuringly.

Al's anger exploded in his head. _She only cares about herself!_

The two on the floor had the whole set of Whiz-bangs spread out and in order. They began to stand up. It was now or never.

"Now! _Stupefy!"_

----

**A/N:**

**I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter. As long as you guys still enjoy the story, I will continue to write. And, since you do enjoy the story, leave a review and make a poor author happy.**

**I'll try to get the next chapter out soon.**


	3. Punishment

"Now! _Stupefy!_" Three streams of red light burst from different places around the Common Room. Al dove around the side of the couch, shooting more stunning spells in the general direction of the intruders. Just before he rolled behind the armchair that Amy was currently bunkering down against, he glimpsed one of Scorpius' spells colliding with Giles' chest, lifting the fifth-year off his feet and throwing him against the wall. Al took a quick look at Amy, to make sure she was all right, then raised his wand and jumped back up to cast another stunning spell.

"Expelliarmus!" Came the cry of Alice's voice, and the spell hit Albus' hand directly. His wand was launched out of his grasp, and his right hand went completely numb. Wandless, Al quickly ducked back behind the armchair as Amy rose to give another onslaught of spells.

Flashes of all colors were now silhouetting the whole room, and gave enough light for Al to see where his wand had landed. It was near the wall opposite him, where there was no cover.

"Amy, distract them," Al hissed, staring intensely at his wand, wishing he could summon it wandessly.

"Okay, but be quick," Amy's reply came, in a rush. She stood up and began shelling out stunning spells rapidly. Al lunged for the wall, just before an explosion erupted from behind him, throwing him off his feet. He slammed hard into the wall, and fell to his hands and knees. Right there, in front of his face, was his wand. Ignoring the pain in his back, he grabbed it and stood up.

"Look out, mate! Protego!" A small, semi-transparent barrier formed just before Al, in time to block the speeding firework that exploded on impact. The shield held, and then flickered away when the blast's energy was all let out. Wasting no time, Al found cover behind an overturned table, searching for one of the Gryffindors. As he had scrambled to his cover, he had seen that Teal was also out for the count.

Now it was only Alice and James, who were standing back to back, casting shields and stunning spells respectively, making their defense solid. Al stayed in a low crouch and peeked from around the large oaken table, watching as Alice and James were able to cover each other so easily, while also putting up a formidable offense.

A loud _bang! _sent Al back onto his bottom. A rush of heat and energy followed up, causing Al to be flung to the floor. Now all the fireworks were activated, whizzing around the room, roaring their fiery cry, exploding on impact. Al cast a Dimming charm on his vision, to be able to look around at the height of the bright display. The Whiz-bangs reached a crescendo, and a glowing rainbow dragon slithered out from the magical debris. It gave one loud roar, then exploded into multiple dragons, which spread out and reigned chaos. Two headed for the dormitories, the rest smashed around the Common Room.

"We've got to get out of here, James," cried Alice, who was bending down next to Giles, rousing him from the spell he was struck with.

The dragons in the Common Room were gone now, which seemed to leave the rest of the chamber in unnatural darkness. Cursing to himself, Al quickly removed the Dimming charm and shuffled to his feet. He had a clear shot at Alice. He pointed his wand in the intruders' direction.

Should he take it?

He glanced around, looking for his friends. Amy was unconscious, slumped against the wall next to Scorpius, who seemingly had lost his wand and was searching the wrecked floor for it.

Now Al looked back at Alice, gritting his teeth. He should do it... He _had _to do it. Then he caught a glimpse of James' gaze, and saw the scared look on his face. Al's brother knew there wasn't much time; he had to get himself and his friends out of there fast. Was that a pleading look on his face? Al began to hear noises from the dormitories, feet rushing down the steps, frantic yelling. He turned his head in the direction of the noise.

Before Al knew what happened, his tongue rolled up in his mouth, making him gag. He could hear similar retching sounds coming from his two friends. _The git used a Tongue-Tying curse!_ His tongue, just beginning to unroll, wasn't needed for what he did next. In his fury, Al cast a wordless Hurling hex, which threw all four of the Gryffindors to the floor, and the cloak they had been beginning to put around themselves fluttered through the air.

In three quick strides, Al snatched the silky cloak, which was semi-transparent, from the floor.

"We have to _go_, James! You can get it later!" Giles roared, pulling his friend through the entrance. Alice, being the last one through, hesitated. For a moment, Al thought she was going to apologize.

Then, muttering, "Gryffindre!" light burst from the tip of her wand, and she disappeared just as the first few students emerged into the Common Room.

There, floating below the blue-green glow of the glass ceiling, was a large Gryffindor coat of arms hanging in midair, with a roaring lion thrashing out his ghostly paw.

Gasps of confusion and anger drifted from the dormitory entrances behind Al, but he paid no attention. All he could think about was how wrong his perception of Alice was. He couldn't put it out of his mind... Every time he thought she had a bit of remorse or softness towards Slytherin, or to himself personally, he was getting the exact wrong impression. It was always hesitation. Caution.

_They'll pay for this_, Al fumed.

"What in the bloody hell was all that noise?" Blaise, the Slytherin Head of House, came bursting through the still-open entranceway. "Why is the Wall not locked and sealed? And..." He took a look around, his eyes widening. "What...?" Then his eyes focused on the Gryffindor coat of arms... and he absolutely exploded. "_Neville!_ What the hell did your House do?" Roared Professor Zabini, who whipped around to look towards the wall where the other House heads were rushing through.

"I... I..." Professor Longbottom blinked a few times, staring at the roaring and slashing lion. "There must be a mistake... my House would _never..._"

"Don't start babbling about how all your little Gryffindors are noble and pure. How innocent they are... Merlin's Beard, you're a single-minded fool! Look what your little demons did to my Common Room-"

"Settle down, Blaise, Neville." Proffessor Sprout said calmly, striding into the room with all the authority of the Headmistress of Hogwarts. "I believe we have witnesses." Her eyes, such a soft shade of leafy-green, landed on Albus.

Al, now feeling a little self conscious at being the center of attention, fidgeted and noticed how worn his robes were from the fight. In some places, widening circles of burned holes could be seen. "Ma'am?"

"What happened here, Mr. Potter?" Professor Sprout asked, her eyes boring into Al's own. Soft green clashed with bright, sharp green as Al battled within himself on whether to rat out his brother or not. Turns out, he had no choice, after all.

"I can't say anything, Professor." Al said truthfully, hanging his head. He glanced at the cedar wand in his right hand, and then at the... cloak in his left hand. The cloak! What was it? How did James acquire it? Suddenly realizing how important it was that he keep it hidden, he turned from the group of Professors and made his way to his two friends by the fireplace. As he did so, he craftily sneaked the cloak into his robes and began to talk, "Tongue-tying curse. I... I can tell you what happened, but I can't tell you who did it."

Scorpius had found his wand and was crouched over Amy, trying to reawaken her.

"Then, by all means, do tell us what happened," Professor Zabini said exasperatedly.

Seeing that his friends were fine, Al turned back to the teachers and took a deep breath. Everyone was watching him, and all was silent as he said, "The Gryffindors attacked us."

The next day everyone was gathered into the Great Hall. The four Houses sat at their separate tables, and the room was almost completely hushed. Only a few people whispered amongst themselves, speculating about the surprising gathering. The Slytherins already knew that this was about the destruction of their Dorm... And they couldn't wait to see what kind of retribution they would get.

All was silenced with a wave of Professor Sprout's hand as she moved up to her podium at the head of the Hall. She cast her gaze out at the thousand or so students, and shook her head slightly, as if disappointed.

"It has come to my attention that... certain Houses have been disagreeing with one another. This cannot go on. I will not tolerate such divisions between the Houses any longer. The rivalry and competition was meant for the betterment of education; to allow all students to try their best at their _studies_. The Founding Four never intended for the school to be divided into separate factions, competing with each other not academically, but _physically_. Not with violence." She took a breath, pausing for a moment longer to settle her eyes on the Gryffindor table.

"This is especially true for the Gryffindor and Slytherin Houses. For years, I have sat by and watched as members of each of those two Houses wear their House crests with pride, not even considering that they were part of a larger, much more _inclusive _coat of arms. The Hogwarts Crest, which proudly displays all House colors and symbols, is the symbol of our _unity_. Where has that gone? What happened to the comradery the Founding Four showed each other, before the school was established? They were best friends... yet their Houses have become enemies. I have heard of the 'war' you students have declared; and I am putting an end to it. No more will I put up with this... at least, not until you show more respect for each other."

She paused once more, keeping her gaze on the Gryffindor table. "There was an incident last night in the Slytherin House Common Room that is an example on how out of control this rivalry has become. A group of Gryffindors vandalized the Dormitories and Commons area, leaving a symbol of their House as evidence of their attack. It's called 'tagging' and is most commonly found in gangs... And this school is not a home to gang members! All of you were born after the last two Wizarding Wars... You do not understand how these types of incongruities can escalate to such insane heights that deaths occur... That real wars start. On another note, I am shocked and surprised that the Gryffindors have done such a thing-"

"The snakes are lying!" One Gryffindor yelped out, though Al did not see who it was. A roar of assent came from the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables... but the Slytherins and Ravenclaws gave the two tables icy stares.

"Enough!" Professor Sprout moved out from behind the podium and brought herself to her full height, which wasn't very high at all, and brandished her wand. All eyes were on her as she began muttering and twirling her wand in circles. She stopped, her wand glowing faintly... "I must take drastic action to counter these sorts of events. It's for all of your own good." And with that, she pointed her wand at the mass of students.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew throughout the Hall, fluttering the House flags above the students' heads, and ruffling everyone's clothes. And then it stopped as suddenly as it began, leaving a definable change.

All separate House crests and flags had been merged into the Hogwarts coat of arms. All robes had been transfigured to display this change, and everyone was in shocked silence at the sudden merge.

"You... You can't do this," spluttered one foolish soul from where the Gryffindor table used to be.

"Can't I?" Professor Sprout said dangerously, eyeing the poor fellow down. "I think it is time we all learned to get along... In front of you, you will find the new sleeping arrangements. Take this as a warning; any rebellion against this reform will result in the immediate expulsion of said rebels. I hope you make some new friends. Dismissed."

Al picked up the piece of parchment and quickly read it, relieved that Scorpius, Amy, and himself were still together in the (former) Slytherin House section. It was now named Sector Z, which Al thought was an annoying title. In fact, he felt betrayed that Slytherin had to suffer for the idiotic actions of his brother and his posse.

Also, looking down the roster of people who would also be in Sector Z, he saw two names that stuck out… and his stomach sank.

Alice and James were now in his House.

"Ah, so this is where the little snakes bunker down for the night? Very nice," James said, plopping his bottom into one of the armchairs. The faint blue-green glow of the ocean made James look pale, though he was a well tanned boy. He smiled at Al, as if nothing had happened the night before. As if he'd never been in this _room_ before.

"It is very nice," Alice agreed smoothly, examining one of the fireplaces. The exact same fireplace where Scorp had been positioned during the attack. Al gritted his teeth, but couldn't help feeling slightly light headed as he looked at her full beauty. She was out of her school robes, and in a Muggle short skirt and black blouse to match. The filtered light from the lake above played nicely on her soft skin. She turned her head and gave Al a conspiratorial smile. Al averted his eyes, his anger coming back full force.

"Don't get too used to it," Amy seethed, "I'd rather eat bat bogeys than let you sleep in the same room as me."

"And why's that?" Alice said, her sweet smile flawless. "Have I done something to offend you?"

"You know what," Amy hissed, literally unable to say the thing she wanted most.

"I don't think I do." Alice yawned, bringing her finger across the mantle of the fireplace. "The house elves sure know how to clean."

"You vile li-" Amy began, but was quickly interrupted by James.

"Hey, little bro, I think you may have packed something of mine before we left for Hogwarts. It's silky, silvery, and a bit unordinary. I think you'd know what I'm talking about." James stated, giving Albus a hard stare. Al smiled innocently. Two could play at this game.

"Ah, sorry, James. I have no idea what you're talking about. I've gone through my trunk plenty of times; nothing unusual there." Albus gifted his brother with his sweetest, most sly grin.

"Oh, I think you do," James insisted, his fingers playing an impatient beat on his thigh.

"Oh, hello, Albus," came a dreamy voice, causing the boy's head to turn. Standing off to the side near the entrance to the common room was Lauren Scammander. "Hello, James. I've been told the most wonderful stories about this place. Have you spotted any three-headed sea dragons yet?" Her gaze was cast up at the ceiling, where the water was too unclear to see into.

"Can't say I have…" Albus said uncertainly, the question catching him off guard.

"How unfortunate," she replied, now looking at him, smiling softly. "I'm glad I'm in the same house with the two of you. My mother says your father was the best friend she had at Hogwarts." With a small inclination of her head, she left for the girls' dormitories.

"We'll talk later," James said, rising from his seat. He made his way to his own room, leaving Amy, Alice, and Albus alone near the fireplace. Albus stared pointedly at Longbottom, expecting her to follow suit. She didn't.

"For a place that harbored most every dark wizard in recent history, this room is quite beautiful," Alice commented, looking around.

"Interesting how you can manage to insult and compliment something all at once," Amy huffed, turning her back on the blonde. Though Alice was mostly turned away from Al, he could see the smile that crept onto her face.

"Sector Z is my home now. I guess I'll have to change its reputation." Alice walked away then, without so much as a farewell.

Amy shook her head in frustration, causing a larger portion of the fringe of her hair to fall into her face. Pushing a lock behind her ear, she looked over at Al. "What is wrong with those two?"

"At times, I can hardly believe Alice is Professor Longbottom's daughter. The same goes for my brother and my parents," Al complained, rising from his own chair. Now that they were alone, Al wished that Scorp hadn't gone to bed early. He had no idea what to say or do.

"Al…" Amy began, biting her lip hesitantly, "Why did you ask me to the dance?"

Al's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What do you mean? Why does it matter all of a sudden?"

"I'm not blind or stupid, Albus Potter. I've seen how you looked at Alice since our first year. I want to know what changed." She put her hands on her hips, and her one visible eye stared him down. The glorious green of her iris was emphasized by the hue cascading from the lake above.

"I asked you. Can't we leave it at that? Did you not want me to?" Al was getting angry now. Why did she have to bring this up?

"No. You know that. I… I only… Do you still like her, Al? After all this?" There was a sad knowing in her expression, and her gaze was now downcast.

Al had been infatuated with Alice ever since he saw her. If anything, he liked her more when she acted outright disdainful. It was completely idiotic, utterly inexplicable, and definitively wrong. So he lied. "Of course not, Amy. How could I?" He moved forward, smiling, taking the girl into his arms for a hug. He rested his head against hers, and whispered in her ear, "You're the only girl that has taken a sincere interest in me. The only one that I would have wanted at that dance. Alice is nothing to me anymore."

When she pulled back, she was beaming. Her happiness warmed his heart.

"Thanks, Al." She gave him a peck on his cheek then ran away, blushing, calling out, "Good night!"

Albus smiled after her. Now that he was alone, he pulled the strange cloak out from his robes. He hoped James had gone through his stuff. He hoped he would every day. The more time James wasted searching every other place, the less he would think that Al would carry it at all times.

0000

The next couple weeks passed with as much hostility as possible. Fights broke out in common rooms across the school, students jeered at each other more than usual, and teachers were busier after hours with the increased amount of students receiving detention. James and his gang were amongst those being punished.

Albus, Amy, and Scorpius, however, kept their noses clean. So it was no surprise that their trip to Hogsmeade that weekend was mostly a quiet one. They almost had the town to themselves.

A light snow drifted through the air, causing the three companions to pull their cloaks tighter around themselves.

"It's so pretty," Amy said in awe as they walked the cobblestone path through the small village.

"Won't argue with you there," Scorpius put in, glancing around. "But it's bloody cold."

"Al! Wait up!" a familiar voice called out. The three of them turned to see Rose running towards them, her face red, her auburn braid bouncing behind her. Snowflakes were melting in her hair, and she wore a gleeful smile. When she finally reached them, she bent over, huffing, trying to catch her breath. "It's… too bad… we weren't put in the same House!" She managed to get out.

Albus gave her a kind smile and nodded, "It would be nice to spend more time with you, Rosie. Sorry we haven't gotten to talk really since the housing change."

She cut right through his words. "Then why have you been avoiding me?"

Smiling sheepishly now, Albus gave a nervous laugh, "Don't take it personal, Rose. You and I have been best friends since we were three. It's just that this new housing thing has gotten me all kinds of mixed up." He had been avoiding her for the most part because he knew she would probably feel secluded ever since the change brought James and him together, but not her. He figured that since Lily and she were still together in the former Gryffindor house that it would help her get over it. He just couldn't deal with emotional situations like their encounter would surely have caused.

She wrinkled her nose at him for a second, but then her smile returned. "Anyway, I thought we could spend the day together. Lily is too young to come to Hogsmeade, and everyone else I know is in detention. What do you think?"

Acting hurt, Al whined, "So I'm a last resort, am I?"

Scorp and Amy sniggered. Rose, of course, couldn't spot the act and took him, as usual, completely seriously. "Of course not, Al! That's not what I meant at all…" She seemed to be on the verge of tears before Albus reassured her that he was only kidding.

"No point in standing here and freezing our ears off," Al finally said. "How about we get a butterbeer?" They made their way to the best pub in the village: the Hog's Head. The old bartender had really made the place up since the last Wizarding War, from what Albus had heard. The place usually buzzed with business, but today was a slow day. The old man greeted them kindly enough in his gruff voice, and they ordered their drinks.

They picked out a table by a window. When they sat down, Amy stared dazedly out into the swirl of snow. Rose chattered away about classes, especially her favorite: Charms. Scorp listened intently, smiling at her. It seemed to Albus that she tried to ignore him like usual, but she was in too good a mood to stay frosty for long. Al was content to let the two of them talk, and so was Amy, he saw.

As she sat there, quietly looking out into the white haze, he wondered what she was thinking of. The melancholic expression on her face made a deep sadness stir within him, and he wanted badly to make her smile. "Hey, Amy, can I show you something I saw outside? It'll just take a second."

His words jolted her out of dreamland, and she quickly nodded. Scorp and Rose began to rise, but Al shook his head, "We'll just be a sec. Don't trouble yourselves."

He led her outside, holding the door open for her. As soon as they were in the brisk cold, he could see her shudder slightly. He led her to the side of the pub, where no one could see them. "What's the matter?" He asked pointedly.

She smiled bravely, giving him a 'nothing' then turned away from him. Albus stepped around to her side, putting an arm around her shoulders. He watched as her smile melted, and she bit her lip as tears appeared at the corner of her eyes. "It's just that… Christmas is nearly here… We'll all go on break. I'll be separated from you and Scorp."

Albus laughed. "Is that all?"

She glared at him, wiping the moisture from her eyes in one swift motion. "How can you belittle how I feel about that?"

He only grinned at her. "We'll all be back together soon enough. It's only two weeks,"

She shook her head, muttering, "You don't understand. Then it will be summer break after that… That's months, Al!"

He leaned over and touched his forehead to hers. "We'll keep in touch, Ames. Don't worry so much. We'll even be able to visit over the summer."

One side of her mouth quirked up in a small smirk, "Ames? Al, you and your stupid nicknames!"

He poked at her side, making her squirm away. He laughed, "Don't like it? Tough!" He stuck his tongue out at her and hopped away from her playful swat.

"That's not it at all," she said softly, her face now bright. "It's just one of the many things I like about you, Al."

Albus turned away to hide his blush. "Let's go in before we freeze to death, all right?"

"Yeah," she agreed happily.

0000

When Christmas break rolled around, Al, Scorp, and Amy had to go their separate ways and Kings Crossing. Not for the first time, Albus was sad to leave the comfort of Hogwarts and forced to return to a Gryffindor's world. All of his family, except Aunt Fleur, had been or is in Gryffindor. Even though Professor Sprout had separated the three houses, the roots and divinity still loomed over everyone.

That sort of ostracism translated into Al's family life, if not completely.

Albus pushed his way through the crowd, trying to find his mum and dad. Without warning, something crashed into his trolley, causing it to turn over, nearly taking him with it. As his belongings spread across the platform, Al looked up to see the cause of his trouble… but found only the sympathetic stares of parents and the amused looks of students. Before anyone could rush to help him, one wave of his wand had all of it fixed up in moments.

Al had figured out early on that when he used magic in the vicinity of full-grown witches and wizards, the Ministry was unable to detect his breach of the law. This knowledge came in handy every once in a while.

"Albus!" he heard his mum's call, along with her rushing footsteps. As soon as he turned to the source of the voice, he was swept up in a hug and showered in kisses.

"Aw, come on, mum!" Al complained, pulling away from her, not able to hide his smile.

She put her hands on her hips, and tsked at him. "Young man, your hair is getting unruly!"

A hand was placed on his shoulder at that moment, and he heard his dad's laugh. "Takes after me, doesn't he?" Al's dad was still a head taller than him, so Al had to look up to see his father's grin. "We've missed you, son."

"I-"

A booming noise cut him off. _James, _Al seethed.

Sure enough, James had let off an Atomic Stink Bomb. As a green mist inched its way across the platform, people were running at full speed to get away. The archway between the Muggle station and Platform 9 and ¾ was overcrowded, and people were apparating everywhere. Like a rapid beat being played out, _pop pop pop_, people disappeared.

Al looked around, knowing his brother couldn't be too far off. Lily appeared out of the fog, pushing her trolley, gagging. Albus watched his mom kneel down to hug the now crying Lily. His dad let go of Albus, moving away to pick up a stray can. He pointed his wand at it, muttered something, then tossed it to Al. Catching it, Al heard his dad say, "Use that with your mom and Lily. I'll take care of James."

Without waiting, Al's dad ran off. Grabbing hold of his trolley, he held out the can to his mom, who touched it as Lily held on to her own trolley. With a jerk from a point behind his navel, the world spun out of control. Seconds later, the three of them slammed hard onto the ground outside their cottage.

Al looked around with a sigh. It was good to be home. Not too long after he got settled in, he heard his dad and James arguing in the sitting room. Albus walked up to the door under the cloak that he had taken from James.

"This is getting out of control, James," his dad said exasperatedly.

"You used to like them," James complained.

"You were younger, less destructive then. You had a playful spirit… this was borderline terrorism! If I were not there to –"

"But you were there, dad! Why don't you see that you're different? That _we're_ different! The Potters are on a level all their own! You were the hero of both Wizarding Wars… and I'm your son. Why don't you get that-"

"Stop it, James. What happened in the past has nothing to do with this. We are _not_ different. We are the –"

James snorted, "Then why was I allowed to get away with letting off that stink bomb?"

Silence for a full minute.

"You think you got away with it, do you? Well, we'll see what you think when your grandmother gets through with you. She's been needing some help around the Burrow."

James grunted, and Al could hear him storming from the room. Albus quickly pressed himself against the wall to ensure that James didn't brush against him.

Al heard his father sigh tiredly from the other room. He peeked in to see his mum walking in, moving towards her husband. Figuring she'd sort his dad out, he left under the cloak. As soon as he was in his room, he pulled it off and stuffed it under his mattress. "The git ruins everything," Al mumbled, falling into his bed.

0000

The rest of the break couldn't have passed quickly enough. Being stuck so close to James was a nightmare made reality. The only time Albus got any peace was when James was sent to the Burrow to help out their Grandma. It wasn't until he was at Kings Crossing and he realized he'd soon be rid of his prat of a brother that he knew he should ask his dad about the cloak.

He pulled the cloak out from under his jacket, and watched his father's expression closely. He seemed amused.

"I thought James had taken it," he said with a chuckle, taking the cloak in his hands to examine it.

"Well, he did," Al explained, "but it ended up in my possession."

His dad smiled fondly down at the light fabric. He held it back out to Al. "I know I can trust you with it, son. It's a family heirloom, so keep it safe, all right?"

Al smiled brightly up at his father, taking the cloak with a nod. After he ruffled Al's hair, Harry Potter made his way over to his daughter to say his goodbyes.

A poke on his shoulder alerted Al to Scorp's arrival. "Hey, mate. Good Christmas?"

Scorpius smirked when Al turned around. "The best. You?"

Al shrugged, deciding it was best not to dwell on his unhappy vacation. "It was all right. James managed to take most of the fun out of it, though."

"No surprise there, mate, am I right?" Scorp clapped him on the back. "I'll see you on the train."

As soon as Scorpius left, his vision was blocked by a pair of hands.

"Guess who!" a voice chimed, making Al grin.

"Hey, Ames, long time no see." Al turned around to see her grin. He stared at her in shock when he could see all of her face. Her hair was brushed back today, and tucked over her shoulder in a hippogriff-tale. "Nice hair," he teased.

She blushed and rolled her eyes, "My mum doesn't like the way I usually keep my hair. Whenever I'm around her I have to keep it out of my face."

"No matter how your hair is styled, you always manage to look cute."

She flushed then, and managed a quick "see you" before rushing to the train. Al grinned after her.

"It's good to see you're moving on," James commented from behind Albus, making the boy turn and glare. "I was afraid that you'd never get over Alice."

"Shut your trap, you annoying git. You already ruined Christmas, don't ruin this, too."

James held up his hands defensively, "Hey, hey, hey. Don't bite my head off, little brother. I was only saying…"

"Well keep what you have to say to yourself. You've already messed up the whole school and home, try not to screw with the places in-between." With that, Al turned on his heels and stalked onto the train.

Before reaching his booth, Albus spotted Alice further down the aisle, staring at him strangely. When he gave her questioning look, she ducked into a compartment.

"I'll never understand that girl…" Al sighed, stepping into the partition his friends picked out.


	4. The Plan

"It's about time you showed up," James voice carried across the room from his high seat. Al looked over at him, annoyed, wand at his side. What irked him more was how Alice was positioned at James's right.

"I thought it was about time to show you what a real duelist looks like."

James's posse chortled, shaking their heads. There were around ten former Gryffindors, including James and Alice, three or four former Hufflepuffs, but no students from Ravenclaw. The only former Slytherins were Scorpius and himself, who stood by the entryway.

The Room of Requirement was shaped in a large oval, a line of markings trailing from one wedged side to the other. Spread throughout the room were waist-high walls meant for taking cover behind. Off to the side is where James sat, obviously the leader of the unofficial dueling club. The others stood in the middle of the room, staring at Scorp and Albus.

"There are a couple rules you have to abide by if you want to duel. Rule one: no curses that will severely hurt or even kill your opponent. Rule two: no fire. Rule three: if your wand is captured, the capturer has the option to keep it. Understand?"

Al only smirked. He had been counting on the wand rule. Just like the old days, from what he read. His brother was so predictable.

"Let's get this thing rolling, shall we?" Scorp said with a smirk. "I think it would be fair for all of you to come at us at once. You might have a chance, at least."

The other students looked confused. Their facial expressions ranged from angry to amused, and everything in-between. James hopped from his throne-like position, brandishing his wand.

"You heard him, guys. Who are we to deny the snakes what they want?" James's eyes were twinkling with mischief, and he looked like he was itching for a fight.

"This is bloody stupid," complained a large boy, who looked to be in his fifth year. "You want all of us to fight a couple of fourth years?"

"Third years, actually," Al said with a grin. He could hear Scorp snort.

"Merlin's foot, you're out of your bleeding minds!" Another shouted.

"En garde!" Al shouted, shooting a stream of light from his wand, making the group across the room jump apart to take cover. Al stood in the open, shouting spell after spell at the other students. Scorp stood beside him deflecting any spell that made its way to them.

With a flourish of his wand, Al extinguished all the lamps in the room. Silence filled the room for a full second before the shouts of "Lumos!" began marking the students' dooms. The first one had stood up to ignite his wand's tip, and no sooner than he had was he taken down by Scorp's stunning spell. The next five cast the spell at the same time, but were spread out through the room.

Al whispered "Left," and began running in that direction, casting Reducto spells at the barriers the unfortunate students in his path were hiding behind. Three of them were on the debris-ridden floor before they knew what happened, each unconscious. With a grin, Al backed away from the light still emanating from their wandtips. Hiding in the shadows, Al heard the other two's shouts as Scorp took them out.

"Dammit, Al, you're fighting dirty!" James shouted out. Al launched another Reducto curse in the direction the voice came from, then rolled away from his position just before a flurry of spells blew away the wall he had been hiding behind.

Scorpius sent a flare of red into the air, the signal.

Pointing his wand straight up, eyes closed, Al yelled, "Solaris!" Even behind his eyelids, his eyes were on the brink of pain from the intense, bright light emitted from his wand tip. Several shouts of agony erupted across the room, and Al knew his plan had worked.

Leaping over the crumbling wall he had been hiding behind, Al launched disarming spells at the students who were now rolling on the floor covering their eyes. Scorp had lit up the lamps once more, as they had planned, and Al had just finished picking up four wands. Four disarmed, six unconscious. That left four.

Scorp slid to a crouch beside Al, and Albus gave his friend a grin. "I think they're regretting it by now, don't you?"

"I think they regretted it as soon as we took out the lights."

"Albus!" James called, "Let's call it a draw before you get hurt."

"Don't answer," Scorp whispered, "he's just trying to get our location."

Al nodded, and tossed three of the wands he captured to the floor. He now held one in each hand. In his right was his cedar wand; in his left was a hickory masterpiece of similar length. "Never!" Al called out. "Agualorum!" A stream of water flowed from the tip of each wand Al held, until a long line curled at his feet. The long whips of water flowed back and forth, holding together and glowing slightly.

Al brought himself to his full height, holding the wands before him. The streams cascaded before him, yet not even a drop fell out of place. With a flourish, Al twirled the whips overhead and cracked them out in James's direction.

"What the bloody hell is that?" Al heard Giles cry out, but Teal was struck full in the chest – the impact lifted the fourth year off his feet, and his wand flew out of sight.

Alice and James jumped up, shouting curses and hexes. Al pinwheeled his wrists, causing the two whips to spiral in a tornado-like fashion, absorbing their spells. All the while Albus was distracting the other students, Scorpius was sneaking up behind them.

Al winded his whips back one last time, then lashed out again. Alice and James dove out of the way, but Giles was not so fast. The water washed over him, and Al let go of the spell. Giles collapsed backwards, sputtering. Al ducked behind cover as stunning spells exploded into the small wall.

With a cry of "Expelliarmus!" Al knew it was all over.

Grinning, Al stood up triumphantly. Alice and James had dark expressions, but Scorp looked absolutely ecstatic, holding two extra wands in his right hand.

"That was a complete load of hogwash," James cried heatedly, fists clenched at his sides.

Alice only glared at Scorp and Al, but the two Slytherins only had smiles to give in return. "Good duel, guys," Albus laughed.

Al looked down at the many wands he had captured. He picked up the ones he dropped, and brandished them in the air. "Four for me. How about you, Scorp?"

"I think I got the prizes of the century," Scorpius said proudly. "James and Alice's wands. Sweet, sweet, victorious revenge."

"No," James seethed, "you broke the rules, Malfoy."

Al sensed a fight. "How's that? No one is hurt, we didn't use-" Al stopped. _Crap,_ he thought with clenched teeth. When Scorpius used fire to light the lamps, he broke the rules.

"Fire," Alice muttered, glaring at Scorpius, then Albus. "Scorpius used fire. He's disqualified."

"He didn't use fire against anybody, though!" Al shouted.

"The rule is simple," James stated, a smile creeping onto his face. "No fire." He held out his hand towards Scorpius. "My wand." Alice did the same.

Scorpius looked ready enough to curse them both into oblivion. "Fine." Scorpius threw the wands at their feet, then stormed to the exit.

Al gave one last contemptuous glare at his brother, thinking of starting another duel, but he then thought better of it. Putting on his best smile, he bowed to James and Alice, the last of his opponents standing. "We should do this again sometime."

"Count on it," Alice said, her blue eyes icy.

0000

The next day, a Saturday, Scorpius and Albus were settled in their favorite training spot by the lake, on the rocky shore close to the Forbidden Forest.

"Those… bloody… bastards…" Scorp grunted, slashing one of the wands Al won at the water. "I had two fairly won wands! And this one is no good, either," he fumed, tossing it back to Al. That was the last one to try.

Al caught it and scratched his head with it. The four wands he won worked perfectly fine for him, if not as good as his first wand. "I don't get it, Scorp. What's the difference between me and you?"

The blond stopped for a moment and smirked, "Besides my devilishly good looks and wellspring of natural talent?"

Al snorted, "And your inflated ego? Yeah, besides all that."

"Well," Scorp said, scratching his chin. "Maybe it's got to do with the wand choosing the wizard and all that. After all, we can't just use any wand, right? Otherwise, old man Ollivander wouldn't have to clean his shop forty times a day."

"You may be right," Al conceded, staring at the five wands in his hands. "So what do I do with all these? I only needed one more. You and your big mouth got me three extra."

"Well, I have a heart that loves justice. One on one matches wouldn't have been very fair, you know? I just couldn't let that sort of thing happen!"

"But we've shown what we can do, now…" Al muttered darkly. "The more we do that, the more suspicion we'll rouse. If we let people know how powerful we are-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. The same old lecture we give each other every day. Look, it was an _illicit_ match. That's why no one but the ones who got their butts handed to them will ever know. And do you think they'd _tell_ anyone two third years defeated them all at once?" He laughed. "I wouldn't be surprised if they took that to their graves!"

"Not James…" Al groaned. "He'll talk about it, all right. He'll say we cheated. He'll say he won, even. He'll do anything to try and contort the truth. Then, the four I got these wands off of… what will they tell their parents? What will they do to try to get them back?"

"You know what, Potter?" Scorpius sighed. "You worry too much. How about we do what we came out to do?"

"What if three wands isn't enough?"

"Then use the rest of them. Let's _do _this!" Scorp's eyes sparked with determination. Al only nodded in response.

Al rose from where he was sitting on a large, pitch black rock. He stared out over the lake, three wands in his right hand, two in his left. Swallowing hard, he walked to Scorp's side and got into position, back to back. He could feel a slight heat forming around them, and an almost imperceptible haze of power filmed his vision.

"One. Two. Three! Wingardium Leviosa!"

"Wingardium Leviosa!" Scorp cried in unison.

The air around them rippled as their magic overlapped for the second time in history, and Albus felt a physical drain on his entire body. He grit his teeth and held on to his wands tightly, which were heating up to a point that was uncomfortable.

Nearly the entire surface of the lake was roiling, and a large bubble of water was rising from the center. The bubble washed away, revealing the dark grey skin of the giant squid that lived in the lake. It lifted farther into the air as its tentacles lashed out, but it could do nothing to stop its ascension. The wands now felt like they were on fire.

"Al…" Scorpius choked out, "I… Think I'm… Blacking out…"

"Just _hold_, Scorp," Al bit past his clenched teeth. "_Move_!" And with that, they began to turn slowly, their extended arms trailing the floating sea creature as it glided closer to the school grounds. "Almost… there!"

Just as its body reached dry land, Al and Scorp crumpled together, trying to catch their breath and physically drained.

"I'd say," Scorpius wheezed, "Test two… is a success."

Al stared admiringly at the giant squid thrashing on the lawn, some students running in terror. No one was close enough for its tentacles to harm, and it seemed more annoyed than violent. When he finally caught his breath, Albus said, "I wonder what the Professors will make of this? We've been spacing our magical experiments out far enough so that they won't link them, but…"

Scorp sighed again. "Like I said, mate, you worry too much. Right now we're only third years. Everyone _else_ will be blamed before we are. We'll just have to be more careful in our later years." He stood up and brushed himself off, stowing away his wand as he did. "Anyway, I think it's time we get some homework done. We'll work on the wand problem later."

Scorp took off, not waiting for Al to get up. Al watched him leave. When the blond was out of sight, Al looked down at his hands. Small burns marked where each wand had been pressed against his skin, but he hadn't seen anything like it on Scorp's palms. "Five wands is three two many," he muttered to himself. He figured all he'd ever need is two at most, so he would need to find a good hiding place for the other three in case he ever broke one.

He had just stood up and put away his wands when a tap on his shoulder alerted him to a presence. He jerked around and saw that it was only Amy. "How long have you been standing there?" he said, more harshly than he'd meant to.

She took a step back in surprise, a look of hurt crossing her face for a brief moment, then her nostrils flared in anger. "Is that how you greet all your friends?"

"Er, sorry," he said, scratching the back of his head. "That didn't come out the way I wanted it to. I only meant… well… Ah, did you want something?"

"It's Saturday, I just wanted to hang out," she said uncertainly, and Al could tell she didn't know whether she should still be mad or not. Then she smiled, "Pretty cool about the squid, huh?"

Al turned around to look at it. "Yeah, me and Scorp were just admiring it. Whoever did it is pretty powerful, huh?"

"I bet it was a group of seventh-years, making a prank for their last year," Amy said, and Al turned to her with a smirk.

"How many do you think it took?"

"Oh," she said, her mouth twisting as she thought. "Maybe five or six. I wouldn't be surprised if they got a Professor in on it, too. Who would attempt that without permission? They'd get so busted!" She smiled at him, and her unshielded green eye twinkled.

"Yeah," Al laughed. "I bet they did have help." They watched the Professors band together to lift the squid. It took five of them to do it.

"Ames," Al began, looking out towards the lake. "What do you think of Voldemort?"

She turned to him, eyebrows raised. "He was an evil man that wreaked havoc before we were born, and died before we were born. What of it?"

"Well, what made him so scary? Why was his name hardly even uttered, like it says in the history books?"

"Respect, fear, hatred. So?"

"But _what_ made him respected, feared, and hated?" Al insisted.

She paused, tapping on her cheek thoughtfully. Al took a seat in the sand, and rested his back against the rock he had been sitting on before. He stared up at the sky. Amy bent over and obstructed his view, her long hair nearly reaching his face as she smiled down at him.

"Power. Where are you going with this?" She knelt at his side and stared at him expectantly.

"But Albus Dumbledore was my namesake, and no one feared to speak his name, no one had to tell their children awful stories about him. What's the difference between the two?" Al was biting his lip, fearing her answer.

"The way they used their power, of course. Voldemort did evil, selfish things with his talent. Dumbledore…" but she held her tongue. "Well, my mum says he did some awful things, too… Rita Skeeter's biography of the man was her favorite book."

"I've read it, too." Al said. "There's truth in it. Grindelwald and Dumbledore were best mates. They had similar ideals. Power corrupts, I've always been told. So maybe people who become too powerful should be stopped. Do you agree?" Now he was really interested in her answer.

"I… I don't think so. Dumbledore managed to live out most of his days protecting others and using his power for good. It all depends on the person, really." Amy looked down at him, confused. She was sitting on the back of her calves, hands resting on her thighs. "What's with you all of a sudden?"

Al looked over at her, smiling sadly. "Can I trust you, Ames? Can I trust you implicitly?"

"Of course!" she said without a moment's hesitation, her back straightening. "Have I ever given you reason to think otherwise? What's on your mind?"

"Scorp and I brought the giant squid out of the lake," Albus stated bluntly.

Amy laughed, "Quit joking around, Al! What's really eating you?"

Al stared at her flatly, then looked back at the sky. The day was warmer than it had been, but it was still a February day. The chill sent a shiver up Al's spine. At least, he told himself it was the cold.

"Al… That's unbelievable," Amy whispered. "How… how did you manage it?"

"I… I shouldn't have told you," Al said, looking as far away from her as possible. "This is wrong. Scorp and I were doing this alone."

"Doing what, Al?" she moved closer, leaning over him now.

Al looked up at her. The way she was leaning made her hair come away far enough that he could see her face in its entirety. "We're going to become the most powerful wizards that the world has ever seen."

She simply looked at him for a moment, then blurted out, "Why? What does it matter how much magical muscle you gain? What's the point?"

Albus shook his head and sat up, forcing her to back away. "I thought you'd be able to understand. It's not about the power at all, Amy. It's about the effect it has on people. About the effect that _Slytherin_ has on people. If we could become so strong that we put Voldemort to shame… and then act more like Dumbledore did, what would that show? It would prove everyone wrong! It would prove-" Al caught himself, and stood up, afraid to look at Amy, in case she noticed his screw up. He cringed when she showed that she did.

"It would prove what, exactly, Al?" Amy said softly, getting to her feet. "It would prove… _her_ wrong? Alice?"

Albus said nothing. He couldn't believe how stupid he was being today! First he tells her that he and Scorp had been behind the giant squid's relocation, he told her that his goal was to become stronger than any other wizard in history, and now he inadvertently mentioned Alice. "No, that's not it at all."

"Dammit, Albus!" she screamed, making him cringe again. "Every time you lull me into some sort of trust, a sense of security, then you break it all away! It's always about that blonde vixen!"

Al could only shake his head and stare at his feet as she ran pass him, sobbing.

Al stared out over the Black Lake, his anger stirring within him. _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ He raged inside his head. Despite the burns on his hands, he grabbed all five wands in his right hand. Gritting his teeth, he pointed them out over the lake. Without even a spell in mind, he let out a shriek of pure emotion, and the wandtips let forth an explosion of raw magical power that threw him off his feet. Even as he was falling, he trailed the streak of lightning-blue energy with his eyes as it shot out over the lake, sending rippling waves in its path. It collided with a cliff on the other side of the body of water, letting out a blinding light. By this time, Al hit the ground and rolled over to shield his eyes.

The sonic boom popped his ears, and the crumbling noise of the rocks crashing into the water on the far side of the lake was deafening. Closer still were the shouts from frightened students and Professors who had witnessed it.

His mind completely blank, Al moved on instinct alone when he gathered up the wands he had dropped during the recoil of his spell. Shoving them into his robes, he ran into the Forbidden Forest, as it was his quickest method of escape.

_You've really done it now, you bloody fool_, Al roared in his head. He crashed through the underbrush, and the world was darkening the further he went in. The trees were growing close enough together that barely any sunlight was filtering through to the ground, which was covered in rotting leaves and dead branches. Al heard a noise and jerked his head around to look, only to trip over a gnarled root. He hit his head and was knocked out cold.

"Albus? Albus! Wake up, Albus!" a voice called from far away. Al managed a groan, and winced. His head _hurt_.

"Wha-?" Al moaned, opening one eye. It was significantly darker now, and his vision was filled with a tearful Amy. "What happened?"

She smiled through her tears. "You dummy, I should be asking that!"

"I must have hit my head…" Al muttered, bringing his right hand up to touch his forehead. He winced against the contact, but he could feel the congealed blood in his hair. Blinking, he felt something pressed against the palm of his other hand. He closed his fist around it, but couldn't tell what it was by touch alone. "How did you find me?"

A tear hit his cheek as she sniffled, "When I was running away from you earlier, I heard your shout. It broke my heart, Al… I had no idea I hurt you so much. If you were telling the truth-"

"No, Ames," Al muttered, shaking his head slightly. He only just now realized that his head was resting in her lap. "You were right, and I'm sorry. I don't know why I can't stop caring about what she thinks. You had every right to be mad at me."

She shook her head, "It doesn't matter anymore. What happened back there? That explosion… And your hand!" she took his raised hand into her own and examined it. "These burns look bad…"

"I was just so angry with myself… I had to let it out." He looked at his hand too, and now that he had seen it, it began to protest as well. He brought in a sharp intake of breath as she glided her smooth fingers across his palm. "So how did you find me?"

"I ran back to see if you were okay, and maybe even to yell at you a little bit… but all I saw was a glimpse of you running into the woods. It took me an hour to find you, so you owe me!"

Al managed a chuckle. "I'll have to make up some sort of excuse for these burns, I suppose. And if we wait too long, for why we are out after hours." He groaned as he sat up. When he did, he brought his left hand to his chest and opened it. A glimpse of gold was all he got before he heard Amy rustling to her feet. He shoved the object into his robes and allowed her to help him to his feet.

"Can you walk, Al?" Amy asked, concerned. He gave her a confident smile and took a step away from her. In truth, his ankle was killing him, but he figured that she had done enough for him… carrying him back to the Hospital Wing would be a bit much to ask.

The whole way back he tried to hide his limp, and only grimaced when the pain was unbearable… so he grimaced the whole way there. Amy kept throwing him concerned glances, but he only smiled in return, and grimaced when she turned her attention away.

When they finally reached the arched entryway, it was only minutes before curfew. A Professor was posted at the gate for closing time, and it happened to be Professor Longbottom that night.

He raised his blond eyebrows in surprise, "Mr. Potter, Miss Nott, you're cutting it awfully close tonight. What were you two doing out so late?"

Al managed a sheepish smile and held up his burned hands. "Sorry, Professor. We were on our way to visit Hagrid when I tripped, holding our lantern. I sprang my ankle, so it took longer than I expected to get back. Hagrid wasn't there, anyway, as it turns out. Will it be all right if Amy helps me to the Hospital Wing?" Al had seen the lights out in Hagrid's hut as they passed by, and hoped that the half giant wasn't there, in case Neville went back to check on his story later.

Professor Longbottom eyed them suspiciously for a moment, but nodded, "All right, then, you two. Get a move on. It wouldn't due to have you out of bed any longer than necessary."

Al grinned at him apologetically, "Thanks, Professor."

The two moved past the instructor and slowly made their way through the castle.

"I would have thought he'd ask about the lack of a lantern," Amy commented, now supporting part of Albus's weight.

Al shook his head and chuckled, "Neville is a good guy and all, but he isn't the sharpest person when it comes to small details like that."

They managed to get to the Hospital Wing's entrance just before curfew. Al smiled at Amy. "Thanks for your help tonight. I shouldn't have been so stupid earlier."

Amy only shook her head fervently, "I could have been more understanding. And Al…" She was wringing her hands before her, staring down. Al was confused. "I… I want to help you in any way I can. I know you can reach your goal by yourself, and especially with Scorpius's help… but… I…"

Al reached out a hand to cup her chin, bringing her line of sight up to level with his own. "I told you all that earlier because nothing would please me more than to have you along for the ride. If you ever come to think that you'd like in on our plans, too, just say the word. You're one powerful witch, Ames."

She smiled gleefully at him. Suddenly, her lips were crushed against his, making his eyes widen in surprise. "Thanks, Al!" she giggled, rushing away. Al was left there leaning against the door for support, stunned into inaction.

The door opened and he toppled into the room, landing hard on his side.

"What do we have here?" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed.

"One tired wizard," was all Al managed before blacking out from a mixture of the pain from his injuries and the exhaustion that the spells had brought on him.

0000

**I appreciate any and all feedback. Thanks for reading.**


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